A CONVICTED conman with a track record for stealing from the elderly had £91,000 in bank accounts opened with fake names.

Robert Barker, 58, has been jailed for two-years-and-six-months after admitting money laundering.

After the case, police said they suspected the cash had been amassed by preying on the vulnerable and elderly.

Barker, who describes himself as a "self-employed builder, tarmac-er and pony trader", had insisted that the money was undisclosed earnings from work.

Burnley Crown Court was told that police uncovered the crimes of Barker, of Manchester Road, Nelson, after a handbag belonging to a vulnerable 86-year-old woman from Burnley was found in a Hapton lodge last May.

In it was a Marsden Building Society book showing regular cash withdrawals.

The bag was returned to its owner who had considerable short-term memory loss.

Police were concerned and decided to monitor her account.

Officers also kept watch on her address and on May 14 Barker went up to her on Rossendale Avenue and took a white envelope. Police approached and he claimed he had found the envelope on the street.

But his mobile phone was examined and it was discovered he had repeatedly telephoned the pensioner.

A neighbour later identified the defendant as having visited the woman's home on a number of occasions.

Maurice Green, prosecuting, said the defendant was questioned the day after and gave a prepared statement claiming the pensioner had been paying him for work.

Her property was later examined and no work had been done on it for two years.

Mr Green said money had been regularly deposited in fake accounts and withdrawn quickly afterwards, which was indicative of money-laundering.

Barker was arrested and police discovered £91,000 in bank accounts with false names as well 14 further accounts in his own name with a total balance of £141,000.

Between 2004 and 2006 he had declared a profit of only just over £10,000 to the Revenue and Customs. Mr Greene, prosecuting, said: "This was a well planned, fairly sophisticated money laundering."

The prosecutor said Barker had previous convictions mainly for dishonesty, going back to the 1970s and had served five-and-a-half years for conspiracy to steal from the elderly.

Barker admitted fraud, possessing an article for use in fraud and six money laundering allegations, between 2003 and 2007.

Martin Hackett, defending, told the court the money in the accounts was from undeclared earnings.